We’ve got yet another record-first achievement of renewable sources overtaking gas, coal, and oil – this time in the EU’s electricity generation during the first half of this year. Solar and wind alone produced a fifth of that clean energy – a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Altogether, solar and wind, along with hydro and bioenergy, produced 40%, while fossil fuels accounted for only 34%. As a result, the carbon emissions from the 27 member states’ power sector fell by almost 25% during the period.
These figures come from a report by Ember, an independent climate think-tank dedicated to speeding up the global electricity transition. The organization’s senior electricity analyst, Dave Jones, said this milestone marks a “symbolic moment” in Europe’s transition since only nine years ago, fossil fuels generated twice as much electricity as renewable sources.
The coronavirus lockdowns caused a 7% drop in electricity demands in the bloc – yet generation from renewables rose by 11%, while fossil fuel generation dropped by 18%. There were many new solar and wind installations recently, which helped that outcome. Denmark took the biggest piece of that pie generating 64% of its electricity from those sources.
Jones said:
Every year more renewables are coming online. This is not a one-off – it’s not going to switch back even if the pandemic significantly slows down new wind and solar installations this year. The EU now had an opportunity to use its combined €1.8 trillion seven-year budget and recovery package to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and meet its climate ambition.
Wind and solar have increased but not enough to the levels that we need to see in the 2020s. If the EU increased its 2030 target to reduce emissions by 55% from 1990 levels – up from 40% now – it would need to deploy two to three times more wind per year in the 2020s than it has over the last decade.
Coal declined across the board, and some countries even had extended periods completely coal-free. For example, in Portugal, it fell by 95% and brought forward the planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants by two years. Poland – on the other side of the spectrum – generated as much electricity from coal as the other EU member states combined (minus Germany). Consequently, the country has been one of the worst affected among the EU countries by the drop in electricity demand. It also now has the second most expensive electricity in Europe because imports and renewables are much cheaper than their domestic coal generation.
Ember’s report presents clearly that Europe’s coal-to-clean transition is happening faster than expected, and the coronavirus crisis proved that renewables are more resilient than fossil fuels. With COVID-19 stimulus packages in hand, and data showing how fossil fuels no longer make any economic sense, it’s time for all countries to create a clean transition. Everyone now has the opportunity to step up their ambitions and cut emissions from the power sector this decade.
